NCRR names VP of engineering

North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) hired Jim Kessler, PE, as vice president of engineering and planning.

He has 37 years of experience managing and participating in major railroad and rail transit projects from their inception through design and into construction.

At NCRR, Kessler will utilize his engineering expertise in the organization's capital investment program, replacing and rehabilitating bridges and tracks, employing safety measures, working with transit organizations and the North Carolina Department of Transportation and making sure the railroad's corridor is protected. He also works closely with Norfolk Southern personnel who, through an agreement with NCRR, are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the railroad.

"NCRR has been an important asset for the state since 1849 and will continue to be so in the future," he said. "A significant portion of North Carolina's development has centered on the railroad."

Prior to joining NCRR, Kessler worked as a principal engineer with HNTB in Raleigh, N.C., where his duties included managing the firm's North Carolina rail practice. He retired from HNTB in 2010 after 30 years and joined Hatch Mott MacDonald as a rail engineering consultant.